hope

6You + open arms =hopeOur international programgrew from supporting onecommunity to working withfour programs across Africa— our reach has quadrupled,in exciting and innovativeways. It’s great knowing wecan effect positive changefor so many people.— Kent Linder,Operations DirectorEach parcel provided a month’s worth ofnutritious basics, including flour, sugar,rice, beans and cornmeal. In total, wedelivered 502 parcels or ingredients for125,000 meals — numbers that really meansomething in the context of a life. Imagine:For two months, a child raising her siblingsdidn’t have to worry about where they weregoing to get their next meal.In keeping with our commitment to freshvegetables for our clients in Minnesota, wealso supported the farming efforts of ourinternational partners.Ikamva Labantu (IL) is an organization inSouth Africa that provides emergency foodrelief for children, families and seniors,including those homebound with HIV/AIDS. We provided technical and financialsupport for IL’s Food Garden Project,which not only produces vegetables forprogram participants, but also allows thegardeners to sell any surplus produceto support their own families. In 2011,our support of this community healthand empowerment program broughta biweekly delivery of fresh, beautifulvegetables to 184 families.Similarly, in Ethiopia, we continuedto partner with the Mesfin FeyisaRehabilitation Center (MFRC),formerly Dawn of Hope, which providesemergency nutrition and communitysupport services for 70 people livingwith HIV/AIDS, including affectedorphans. We initially sponsored agarden where former MFRC clientsworked alongside gardeners to plant andharvest 20,000 pounds of teff, a highlynutritious grain. MFRC’s cooks used theteff to make injera — a deliciously spongy,sourdough bread served with nearly everyEthiopian meal — and any surplus wassold in the market. In June of last year,we expanded our support to include twomeals a day at MFRC, providing more than21,000 nutritious lunches and dinners overthe remainder of the year.Overall, our partnerships in sub-SaharanAfrica helped more than 3,500 peopleaffected and infected by HIV/AIDS leadhealthier, more independent lives. If youcontributed to our international program,you were an integral part of that work.Whether it’s through a hot lunch thatimproves the success of one person’streatment or a garden that improves thenutrition and livelihood of a community,every little bit helps — and it all adds up tohope.A client enjoys a hot lunch at theJ.L. Zwane Centre in South Africa.